Guide for good and bad practices in public education, training and information

In the post-Fukushima context, the EAGLE project proposed to identify ways toward improved education, training and communication about ionizing radiation (IR) in order to support the citizens of the EU in making informed decisions in any situation involving IR risks. Based on an extended overview at EU level of the current status–quo in the general public attitudes, concerns and needs related to IR communication, and on the mental models investigation in four countries with different history, culture and nuclear programs (France, Poland, Romania and Slovenia), the major obstacles to good communication processes today were identified: - A modest level of knowledge among the public of IR, its effects and associated risks; - Public mistrust in institutional sources and journalists and discontent with their performance during crisis situations; - A unilateral approach to the communication process by institutional sources. The outcomes of the 4 workshops bringing together institutional sources and mass media in the same countries in which the mental models have been investigated were translated by the EAGLE partners into recommendations and good practices for an informed decision of the general public. RICOMET Conference as well as other EAGLE activities, validated and enriched them, resulting in the end seventeen workable recommendations for an informed decision of the general public.